Avengers have a Home
by SciFiRockerGeek
Summary: This is a re edit of the original Story. The Avengers move in to Stark Tower to bond and become a better team. While Clint and Natasha have to deal with a mole, dangerous missions and possibly a set up.
1. An Offer

Author's Note: I do not own anything. All Characters belong to MARVEL. Only the Villains are mine. I have not read the Comics and am basing this solely on the Movie and my Imagination. When you see 'This' That is a characters inner thoughts. When you see "This" that is Natasha and Clint speaking in Russian. This is the same story I posted. Edited the Chapters.

An Offer

Tony had finished the renovations on the Stark building. Now it was to be the Avengers housing, right in the heart of New York City. Rogers and Banner had already moved in. They had access to gym's, laboratories and weapon training. Stark had a room he shared with Potts on a different floor all to themselves. Another one to get was Thor who was still in Asgard and would use the place when he was here for a mission. Now he had to get the Master Assassins. Stark had made his way down to S.H.I.E.L.D HQ, he had requested a meeting with Fury, Romanov and Barton.

Fury was already waiting for them in the briefing room in the main chair looking over files and then setting them aside. "Morning patchy". Stark said as he entered. Fury didn't even look up. "Do you always come late to the meetings you call?". Stark took a seat in the chair all the way at the other end. "Only to the ones with you. Plus I come fashionably late. There's a difference". Stark looked around and noticed the absence of the other two. "Where are the Wonder Twins?". Fury pressed a com button on the side, "Barton, Romanov. He has arrived. Please join us in the briefing room". 3 minutes later Clint and Natasha walked in. It was obvious that they had been sparring as they were both sweating and tired. Only they could tire each other out. "Nice of you to join us". Stark said as he looked at the two agents. "I told them to keep busy since I knew you would be late. Please take a seat Agents".

Stark had mentioned the Avengers building and how all of them would be staying there so they could assemble easily. "I would like for you two to stay there as well. Seeing as you are Avengers as well". Barton's face was unreadable at the moment. Stark couldn't tell if he liked the idea or not. Natasha on the other hand a little bit of a smile on her face. She was never an ARMY kind of girl so being in one place that was like a barrack was not so pleasant for her. For Barton, well Tony didn't know much about him. "This will also be a good way for us to learn more about each other, train together and bond". Stark mentioned. "Bonding?". Barton raised his eyebrow at this. "Well sure. I like for everybody to know about me!". Stark said. Fury gave a small smile. "Well unfortunately they are liaisons to the Avengers and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I can't just let them leave. They still have missions and orders to follow". Fury told all in the room. "I understand that sir but, shouldn't the Avengers be our primary assignment?". Natasha asked. "No Agent Romanov. It is not your primary assignment because that initiative is only used when there is too large of a threat". Barton was nodding in agreement.

"Come on Fury. Don't you think that we all need to be better acquainted with each other for those kind of missions?". Stark offered as a counter argument. "Stark, Fury is right. Our missions from S.H.I.E.L.D are our primary concerns". Barton said to Stark and Natasha. "You would still be able to go on your missions and be S.H.I.E.L.D agents. You wouldn't be rooming on this base and you would be able to better acquaint yourselves with all of the team instead of, you two knowing each other the best. If we are going to be a team, we need to act like it". Stark countered Barton's argument. Stark knew he had won when he saw Fury nodding along out of the corner of his eye. 'If Fury wishes it, they'll do it'. "I have to agree with Stark on this one. Agent's pack your things, you're moving out". Stark had a smile on his face. 'I always get what I want'.


	2. Moving Day

Author's Note: I do not own anything. All Characters belong to MARVEL. Only the Villains are mine. I have not read the Comics and am basing this solely on the Movie and my Imagination. When you see 'This' That is a characters inner thoughts. When you see "This" that is Natasha and Clint speaking in Russian. This is the same story I posted. Edited the Chapters.

Moving Day

Barton wasn't that happy about the change. Natasha walked over to his room with her suitcase. That was all that they each had come with. One suitcase, the clothes on their back, nothing personal, no pictures, nothing anyone could use to weaken them or threaten them with removal of a person or item. That was the life of an assassin. Lonely and impersonal. Barton liked the ARMY setting. It meant control and stability, all the things he was lacking as a child in foster homes. When he was here, he was still given protection and guarding missions on base. Now that he was leaving, he didn't know what would await him out there. That was the only thing that scared him, he could go into a mission with the wrong intel or even no intel and accomplish it as clean as ever. This though, the uncertainty, the lack of stability and of purpose. He was terrified. Natasha could tell right away that he didn't want to be back in that kind of environment but, this could be good for both of them. "You all ready to go? The Heli Carrier is prepped and ready for take off". Natasha told him from the doorway. "Yeah, yeah I'm ready to go". He zipped up his duffle bag and walked towards Natasha, as he turned he took one last look of his courtiers 'And to think, I hated this place when I first came here. Now, it's the safest place to me'. He turned off the lights and closed the doors. He took off the sign to his room "Barton" that proclaimed it as his. He would put it on his door at the new building, whether Stark liked it or not.

Everyone had gotten settled. Natasha and Barton had arrived an hour and a half after their meeting with Stark and Fury. Thor had also arrived to prepare his courtiers and to 'do the bonding' as Tony put it. They were sitting in the living area of the Avenger floor as Tony indicated it. "This is where you guys will have your own kitchen, living room, your own bathroom and your bedrooms. The gym and training area are located on the 15th floor. Please leave the fighting there, all of the materials are expensive and currently out of stock". That was Tony's grand tour. "**Wow, what a Landlord**". Natasha whispered to Clint in Russian. He had decided that he would learn her language instead of all of the silent looks being their only way to communicate. How can you communicate through looks over a com. So to make it easier he learned Russian, that became their secret language. That and it pissed everyone else off. Clint smiled at her. "**Could have been worse**". He answered back in Russian. She gave a small laugh knowing no one was worse than Tony Stark. "Do you two want to share with the class?". Tony said to interrupted their moment. Without looking at the other they both answered **"Niet"**.

That night they were all sitting around the dining room table. Clint felt so uncomfortable, 'I didn't even sit at the table when I was a kid'. All of this felt strange to him. Natasha sat next to him and seemed to be adjusting quite well. 'Natasha can adapt to anything'. "So". Tony said ending all other conversations or thoughts. "I think it is time we started the bonding process. I suggest we hear, back stories. Now since you all know about me, Rogers, Banner and Thor our Demi-God. I think it would be nice to hear a normal story. So Clint, Natasha… care to share?". Tony sat with his hands folded in front of him. Clint and Natasha looked at each other and then the others. "Ladies first". Clint offered. Natasha stared at him. "I don't feel like sharing yet". She said in a serious voice as she stared him down. "Fine I'll go". Clint said as he put his hands out in front of him like he needed something stable to hold onto reality.


	3. The Story of My Life

Author's Note: I do not own anything. All Characters belong to MARVEL. Only the Villains are mine. I have not read the Comics and am basing this solely on the Movie and my Imagination. When you see 'This' That is a characters inner thoughts. When you see "This" that is Natasha and Clint speaking in Russian. This is the same story I posted. Edited the Chapters.

The Story of my Life

"So um, I was abandoned as a child. I was left at an orphanage at an early age around 4 years old. I was there for 3 years and wasn't getting adopted so, as they said I was 'Taking up space'. I was put into the foster care system. Now there are those kind of parents where they get into foster care for the money and don't actually care for the kid. Well because I couldn't get adopted, those were the kind of people I went to. So from the age 7 to 18 I was passed around to foster homes. Once the abuse was noticed I was moved to a new home. I became a rebel, I hated every family I went into. I always expected the worse at every home. After all the abuse, neglect and instability in my life, I knew that is what I needed to find in my future. So, I joined the ARMY at the age of 18. I was legally an adult, with no real world skills". Tony looked at him with a raised eye brow. "So what skills did you have?". Tony asked the question on everyone's mind. "Well if you count breaking and entering without setting off an alarm, disabling alarms, hot wiring cars and stealing anything I wanted. Those were my skills, to be unnoticed and undetectable. So I felt the need for stability, function and a purpose. The ARMY seemed to be the place for it. So I enlisted and went through all the training. By the age of 19 I got interested in being a sniper. So I went through the training for it. I passed with flying colors. I had taken up archery and had become the best on the base. They had me use it more and more in the field because it was a silent means of disabling a target. By the time I was 21 I was getting recognized for my skills in archery, being a sniper and hand to hand combat. So, I was approached about Special Op's. That had been a dream of mine from the beginning. So I jumped at the chance. I was trained in all forms of hand to hand combat, weaponry and finally I was able to put all those other 'useless' skills to work. So I was on the team for several years. By the time I was 25 I had made a name for myself. "Hawkeye" as everyone called me. I could shoot without a site on my gun or on my bow. Most thought it was impossible to do it but, I was the only one who took a chance and had the marksmanship for it. They said I had a special skill and was an asset to the ARMY. Everything was going well, I had stability and a purpose. Until one day on a mission, we were told about a Terrorist leader coming together with some of his group out in Egypt. We were to go in, intercept the meeting and then assassinate all of them. Bring the intel back and then make our play on the rest of the Terrorist groups involved in their plan. It was a milk run, we had these types of missions what felt like a million times. Almost every day. Well, we were ambushed. There wasn't just the leader and some of his men. No, there was a whole Terrorist cell in there. Every single one of them were armed and ready for us. As soon as we opened that door we were as good as dead. I went in with a team of 7 men, only I came out. I had been shot, stabbed and had fragments from a 10 foot grenade blast embedded in me. I was in bad shape and out numbered. Somehow though, I fought my way out and survived. A secondary team was sent in to retrieve weapons and any other ordinance from the scene that we could use. I was extracted and air lifted back to our base in Baghdad. Well when I was still recovering I had overheard some General's talking. The whole thing was a set up. My team and I were meant to die on that mission". Clint heard gasps and saw eyes staring at him. Some out of pity and some anger. "We were one of the best teams on the force. We could accomplish a 3 month mission in 3 weeks. So when I heard that their reason was to put in some of their preferred men who would get money from the Terrorists by selling them weapons, our weapons, Stark Industry weapons. They knew we wouldn't go for it so they planned to have us killed so we couldn't stop them. They found out that I had over heard their plans so, I had no choice but to leave, I was in the wind. So, they sent an assassin after me". Clint chuckled at the thought of it. "They sent a rookie after an expert, what a dumb mistake that was. I easily killed their assassin, if you could call him that. I spotted him from a mile away. I sent the General a message… "Don't send a Sparrow after a Hawk". Written in his guys blood along with his head". Everyone continued to look at Clint as he continued on with his story of how his life was wanted to be ended. "I knew what my next action needed to be, I needed to stop that General and all the others who were involved. So I got my gear and went back. I infiltrated my old camp and got close to the General who set me up. I took him into an abandoned wear house way beyond the perimeter of camp. I got the intel I needed. Who was involved, what teams were next and the Terrorist cells they did and were selling weapons to or planned to". Clint stopped as he heard Bruce clear his throat and raise his hand slightly. "How?". Tony looked at Bruce with a look of 'You really had to ask that? How do you think? Really Bruce'. "Torture". Was all Clint had to say. He didn't go into detail. Leaving them to imagine what he had put that man through. "So as soon as I had that, I no longer needed him. He was a loose end. So, I took him apart piece by piece. Keeping him alive, so he could know the pain of watching your men be ripped away from you one by one, right in front of your eyes. Powerless to stop it, to end the torture". Clint stopped for a moment, wrapped up in a memory. Perhaps of the ambush or of his revenge on the General. "I then sent him back to the base as confiscated goods". Clint chuckled as he thought of their faces. He stood far enough out of sight as watched as the men unloaded each box, opened them and then proceeded to hurl. He smiled as he saw them panic and look around for the suspect, as if he'd be right in front of them. "I did get into some trouble after that, they had questioned the whole camp and all the evidence led to me. I was enlisted into a different part of Special Op's. I did assassinations for the Government. Terrorists, leaders or potential threats. Like a good little soldier I never questioned my intel or orders. I just did what I was told and never fell into that comfort I did before. Never trusted anyone I took orders from. I had done my own research into each person I dealt with. So, Fury approached me while I was on a mission. Seemed one of the Generals owed him a favor. He wanted to recruit me. Use my skills properly. I remember he told me that my skills were going to waste there. Other snipers could do that, other Special Op teams. I however was meant for bigger and better things. Besides, I had lost all my trust for all of them. So, I took the chance to make a real difference, have a purpose, have a challenge again and hopefully to rebuild a trust I never should have lost". Clint sat there for a moment with his hands folded in front of him. Natasha at some point during his story put her hand over one of his. She would always have his back, even if it was emotionally. "I have been stationed wherever Fury is, he considers me a valuable asset and his right hand man. So for me this (motioning to the Space around him) is weird". No one knew what to say after Clint stopped talking about his past. Tony mentally kicked himself. 'We all have a past we would rather forget about but, can't. It made us who we are today'. Clint had said that to him after Tony had mentioned their pasts and sharing them when they were at the Shwarma restaurant.


	4. New Missions, New Issues

Author's Note: I do not own anything. All Characters belong to MARVEL. Only the Villains are mine. I have not read the Comics and am basing this solely on the Movie and my Imagination. When you see 'This' That is a characters inner thoughts. When you see "This" that is Natasha and Clint speaking in Russian. This is the same story I posted. Edited the Chapters.

New Missions, New Issues

As Clint and Natasha finished one of their many sparing matches, Natasha helped Clint off the floor. "Told you". She said as she held onto his hand and arm as he steadied himself. "Yeah? What did you tell me?". Natasha smiled as she handed him a towel. "That I could wipe the floor with you". She laughed at the hurt look on his face. If she had tried that with any one of the other guys, their pride would have been hurting for days. Clint she knew, would be happy that she was dependable and could hold her own when it came down to it. He laughed too as he toweled off. "I don't know about you but I am ready for a shower and a nap. Possibly an ice pack too". He said as he grimaced as he twisted his back and neck. "Sorry". She had meant it too. Her last mission had been a bust. Her target never showed, in fact, he never existed. That had unnerved her and pissed her off. So she needed to let off some steam. She went looking for a fight and no one in the building wanted to take her on. No one but Clint. He was always ready for the challenge of fighting Natasha.

Clint had showered and hadn't napped as he thought he would. As soon as he was out of the shower he heard a knock at his door. It was a knock Clint and Natasha developed to tell the other that it was their partner on dangerous or undercover missions. Clint called out in Russian "Come in". Natasha entered and saw him standing beside his bed with only his boxer/briefs on. He could have sworn he saw her do a once over from top to bottom. "Fury is here to see you. Looks like you got yourself a mission". She said, as she was walking to the door she turned and said "I would put some clothes on, I don't think Fury would enjoy the view as much". She winked at him. He laughed as he nodded as well. "So you like what you see?". As he turned to face her head on giving her a better frontal view. She smiled "Very much". With one more wink she left and closed his door behind her.

Clint walked over to the main living area to find Fury standing on the balcony. All the others were sitting in the kitchen area. "Agent Barton, how are you enjoying your new courtiers?". Fury asked as he shook Barton's hand. Barton looked at the others. "Still adjusting sir". Fury smiled knowing Barton would be the one man to miss the HQ courtiers. 'Always the structure wanting man'. "Well I have a mission to take your mind off of this. I have a target that needs to be neutralized". Fury mentioned as he handed Barton the file. "His name is Jonathon Welder. Intel on him has come back that he has been looking into the materials used in making Captain America and The Hulk. He is looking into ways of making it more powerful and ready for dispersal". Barton nodded as he read over the file and listened to Fury at the same time. Tony looked at the exchange. "Did you ever notice that Clint's whole body stance changes from when he is here with us to when Fury or someone from S.H.I.E.L.D shows up?". He seemed to ask everyone but looked more towards Natasha. "That's because Barton knows they mean business, that he is now on duty so to speak". Natasha answered.

"I need you on a plane tonight to stop him. He is considered a high priority target. I need your best and cleanest work on this one". Fury said as he handed him his secure com link. "Always sir". Barton said as he went to pack his gear, change and finish reading about his target. He had approximately 2 hours before the plane left. It was on one of S.H.I.E.L.D's private air fields awaiting his arrival. He would land in Georgia, find his target as discreetly as possible. Take him out and obtain all materials in his possession that related to Rogers and Banner. Make it back to the air field and head back to HQ, debrief Fury and then head back … well, what should he call this place. 'Barracks, living space, home? You're not in the ARMY anymore Barton. This place, is home now'.


	5. Not as Planned

Author's Note: I do not own anything. All Characters belong to MARVEL. Only the Villains are mine. I have not read the Comics and am basing this solely on the Movie and my Imagination. When you see 'This' That is a characters inner thoughts. When you see "This" that is Natasha and Clint speaking in Russian. This is the same story I posted. Edited the Chapters.

Not as planned

Barton was finishing packing his weapons and equipment he might need. 'Bow, quiver, rope, hand guns'. All were there and ready to go. He brought his duffle to the living area and left it open so he could pack some extra provisions. He packed bottles of water and some MRE's that they kept in one of the cupboards. The others were sitting in the living area watching him as he was heading towards a purpose. Natasha walked over to him giving him his hip holster for his gun. "Here you left this in the firing range". She said as she handed it to him. "Thanks". He took it and put it in his duffle bag. "You're forgetting something else". She said as his back was turned. Barton smiled as he knew it was their traditional good bye. "Oh, am I?". Barton turned to her and stood in front of her. She placed her hands around him till they were resting on his back. "Be safe and come home.** Come back to me**". With that he hugged her back and gave her a kiss on her forehead. He pulled out of her hug slightly and gave her a kiss on each cheek. He pulled completely out of her embrace, closed his duffle bag put it over his shoulder and said **"Always"**. He put his hand in hers. Tony, Rogers, Banner and Thor stared at the affectionate exchange. "Did you guys see that?". Tony asked as he turned to the others. Banner and Rogers nodded. They were just as shocked to see them. They could see Barton showing emotions but Romanov? "Did you guys notice that they talk to each other in Russian, like a lot". Tony mentioned as well. "They probably are discussing missions and other confidential things from S.H.I.E.L.D". Banner offered as an explanation. "Yeah ok Banner, I totally buy that". Tony said sarcastically. Thor finally joined their conversation. "Their preference of language or actions do not pertain to us. Therefore we should not interfere with it". Tony looked at him with a blank stare. "Buzz kill". Tony said as he left the living area, headed to the bar for a drink.

Barton had arrived on schedule. "Agent Barton?" The pilot asked him as he arrived and extended his hand. "Yes sir, thanks for doing this last minute". The pilot extended his hand towards the plane indicating him to get on board. "It's my pleasure Agent". They had left on schedule. Exactly 2 hours since he had his briefing with Fury. This was a little odd since, every mission he has gone on has had some form of transport delay. He continued to read up on his guy. 'Jonathon Welder, 35 history in bio chemical warfare. Worked for Stark Industries for 5 years. Why do so many people keep bringing me back to Stark Industries? Have they ever heard of background checks?'. Barton decided to get a little rest on his 2 and a half hour flight. Once he landed everything would progress quickly, hopefully.

He asked for it to happen quickly but, not this quickly and smoothly. After his plane landed, his car was already there to take him to his drop off point. Supposedly the warehouse was surrounded by surveillance equipment that was considered military grade. 'I have beaten the military grade surveillance before, most times that was just an empty threat'. Which was what it was looking like now. So far he had been in about 15 feet of the supposed surveillanced perimeter. 'Cheap bastard should have sprung for the security'. Barton thought to himself. As he got out of reach but within sight of the warehouse he was alarmed. 'No guards, no materials and nothing showing that there had been any activity in the vicinity recently. Whoever got the intel, got it wrong or worse. A set up'. Barton immediately notched an arrow in his bow. He was checking the surrounding area, above him and below him. "Agent Barton to rendezvous". He called into his head set. He didn't receive an answer. Next thing he knew there were bullets flying by him hitting the tree he was in. He ducked and began to run for cover. As soon as he saw the roof of the building below him get close enough he jumped for it. He landed on his feet and then quickly rolled to disperse the force. As soon as he got back on his feet he made his way to the ledge and began looking for his target. All he saw was someone with a sniper rifle run inside the opposite building. Barton changed frequencies and tried to contact S.H.I.E.L.D HQ. "Agent Barton to HQ, I repeat Agent Barton to HQ over". He had gotten static and then the best thing he ever heard was Fury's voice. "Barton this is Fury, go ahead". Barton sighed out of relief. "Sir, I have been set up. As soon as I got here there was no sign of surveillance, materials or any sort of activity in possibly years. Then I am being shot at by another sniper. He is on the move and I cannot reach my rendezvous". Barton said as he continued to make his way down from the building and across the way to the other building. "Awaiting orders sir". He added as he was running across the field. "Abort the mission. New target is the sniper. Pursue and interrogate". Barton nodded at Fury's words. "Copy sir. Abort the previous mission and pursue and interrogate new target: Enemy Sniper confirm". "Confirmed Agent". Barton silenced his coms as he ran into the building looking for his target.


	6. Another Mission So Soon

Author's Note: I do not own anything. All Characters belong to MARVEL. Only the Villains are mine. I have not read the Comics and am basing this solely on the Movie and my Imagination. When you see 'This' That is a characters inner thoughts. When you see "This" that is Natasha and Clint speaking in Russian. This is the same story I posted. Edited the Chapters.

Another Mission So Soon

Barton hated when the mission and target change abruptly. Especially when the target fights back, the mission has to be aborted or worse. A false mission on false intel. He was checking every which way as he entered the building, each room and the stair wells. 'Damn it, I lost him'. Barton made his way to the top, to the roof to look at the shell casings and what evidence he left behind. 'Either he missed on purpose or he missed because he was panicking'. Barton was trying to get into the mind of his target. As he reached the roof he could easily see the sniper's spot. 'Definitely sloppy'. He had cleared some of the rocks to make it more comfortable on his knees as he kneeled down for his shot. 'Possibly a newer sniper or one not prepared to be spotted and chased'. He looked at the ammunition cartridges left behind. 'You never leave your casings behind'. They were Stark Industry standard military grade sniper rifle ammunition. 'Obviously you shouldn't use name brand bullets that they can track through the manufacturer. Use an obscure brand and preferably a third party seller. Never leave a ammo trail'. Barton decided to head back in and continue to look through the building. That is when he saw a stair well door open and then clothes. Followed by fast paced foot steps. Barton ran down as quickly as he could. This guy had at least two floors on him but, he was also slowing down. Barton could hear it. He twisted his selector on his bow and chose his grappling hook. He jumped over the railing, turned and fired. He was able to make it to one more floor below his target.

As he opened the stair well to make it to the next set he was met by an arrow in his shoulder. He screamed in pain as he hit the floor. Barton walked over to his Target. He kicked the gun away from him and pulled out his own hand gun and pointed it at his targets head. "Make one more move and I will not hesitate to kill you, understood?". He crouched down lower to his target as he saw him nod. "Good. Now I have some questions for you and I want answers. Who sent you, who do you work for and where is Jonathon Welder with his illegal materials?". Barton brought the gun closer to his head. "Speak". His target swallowed, obviously scared and in pain. He had lost the upper hand in this. "I don't know what you are talking about". Barton wasn't buying it and brought the gun back and shot him in the leg. "AAHH". His target screamed. "Oh, I forgot to mention. If you lie to me, I hurt you". Barton gave a little smile to unnerve his target. 'Yes I enjoy what I do'. "Look, I get my orders and payment from someone else". Barton kneeled back down. "Who, who gives you your orders and payment?". It seemed as if the target had not learned his lesson. He remained silent too long for Barton's liking. "Ok". He brought the gun to his left arm and fired a shot. His target screamed and squirmed at the pain from the new gun shot wound. "Ok, ok. I get them from a man named Langlee. Jason Langlee. I swear, that is the truth". Barton kept tapping his face to keep him conscious. "Who does he work for?". Barton demanded from him. "Welder, your target". 'I always did love this method of interrogation'. "Where might I be able to Find Welder and some bio chemical materials? Anything?". As the blood loss and shock set in his target was becoming more talkative. "I don't know anything about that. I have never even seen Welder. Like I said I get an order and then money. Nothing else". Barton believed him. "Did you get all that sir?". Barton asked Fury through his com. "Every word and shot Barton. Good work. Terminate target". Fury told him. Barton nodded. "You really weren't that good of a sniper anyway". With that he ended his targets suffering. "**Sleep Tight**".


	7. Return Trip

Author's Note: I do not own anything. All Characters belong to MARVEL. Only the Villains are mine. I have not read the Comics and am basing this solely on the Movie and my Imagination. When you see 'This' That is a characters inner thoughts. When you see "This" that is Natasha and Clint speaking in Russian. This is the same story I posted. Edited the Chapters.

Return trip

Barton was walking through the same area he had before, when he was just starting this mission. Could it even be called a mission? Well one of them was a mission. He was exhausted. He had been sparing with Natasha earlier, hoped on a plane, ran through the woods, climbed trees, ran for his life, jumped on a building and tracked a poorly trained sniper then interrogated him. 'Should have taken a nap before my shower'.

As he finally made it to his rendezvous sight he saw his driver there waiting in the car for him. "Hey, I tried to reach you. What happened?". Barton asked as he approached. His guy was dead, shot in the head. 'Damn'. He brought out his bow and notched an arrow. He was clearing the area after he took cover. Nothing and no one were in his sight. He decided he would take the car back to his plane. 'If he was dead too, I'm stuck here till a new pilot arrives'. Luckily as Barton arrived at the air field he saw his pilot walk out of the plane and down the stairs. "Sir, get back on the plane and fire it up. It's not safe out here". He ran to get on the plane. The other hit was clean and left no trace. 'That was done by an expert'. Who knew how many were hiding out and where. Better to get out of there then to tempt them with a target. He made it back to HQ where he debriefed Fury on the missions. He got a pat on the back and lift home. 'I guess that place is my home now'.

As soon as Clint got in he went straight to his room. This whole thing wasn't settling right. He had made sure he let his concerns be known to Fury. "Permission to speak freely sir?". Barton asked Fury who nodded in agreement. "Sir, first Natasha has a mission where her target doesn't show let alone exist. Now I have one where my target doesn't show, then a sniper tries to attack me. Sir, something is not right. I can't help but feel like we are being set up". Fury nodded. "We'll look into it but, we still have to treat each mission as if it is legitimate. I am going to keep on assigning missions to you and Romanov as well". Barton understood how they couldn't stop being sent on missions or looking into missions. Even if they were set ups, they still needed to be treated like threats until they knew otherwise. Even if it meant their lives. That was the way S.H.I.E.L.D worked, assassins could always be replaced. Even the best ones got a bullet to the head in the end. He set his bag down next to his bed, sat down and took a deep breath. 'I can't get past this feeling that we are being set up'. He knew he could talk to Natasha and warn her, make sure she stays safe on her missions and keep a second set of eyes on her back.

Natasha came out of her room and saw the others sitting in the living room watching a file from S.H.I.E.L.D. "You know your bird buddy is back". Tony said in between sips of his drink and a bite of food. Natasha looked over at him. "No, when Barton gets back he will check in with me. That is how we always do it". She said with confidence and yet, some doubt. "It's true, I saw him go into his room. He hasn't come out since". Banner told her backing up Tony. Natasha looked worried as she literally ran from the living room and to Barton's room. As she opened the door to his room, not even bothering to knock in her panic. She saw the lights were off and that there was a figure on the bed. She sat down on the side of his bed and put a hand on his chest to reassure herself that he was actually alive. "Clint". She said as she shook him lightly.

Clint looked up and saw Tasha sitting on the bed next to him. He blinked several times before pinching the bridge of his nose. "What?". He started to sit up until he felt some hands push him back down. "You ok? You didn't come and see me, you just went to bed". Tasha checked his forehead for signs of having a fever. He laughed at her being domestic with him. "I'm fine Tasha. The day caught up with me. I must have been more tired than I thought since, I don't even remember laying down or falling asleep". He said followed by a yawn. "I can forgive it this time but, next time you pass up check in… you will get hit". She smiled at him. She was relieved that he was here and that he was ok and uninjured. Save for some bruises, cuts and welts. That came with the job. They both had small scars all over their body but, it was the larger ones that they were proud of. Ones that were life threatening that they survived. Clint had several scars from his ARMY days and then from his S.H.I.E.L.D days. She had hers from her prior life and her S.H.I.E.L.D life also. "What happened out there Clint? All Fury would tell me that it hadn't gone as planned". She sounded a little worried since it seemed to exhaust him. 'It takes a lot to tire out Clint and I'. She thought to herself she waited for him to wake up a little more, turn on the side lamp and sit up.

"Well, firstly it was too easy getting to the warehouse where the whole operation was going down. Which is a sign in itself. Then there were no materials in the area where the testing was happening. Lastly, my target never showed. In fact the only one who showed was a horrible sniper assassin". Natasha noticeably sat up at his last words. "Luckily he had a horrible shot, was panicky and sloppy. He had multiple shots and no hit. Then he left behind his expired shells and his obviously altered nesting area. He was definitely not a professional". That didn't help settle Natasha's nerves as much as she and he hoped it would. "So as soon as I informed Fury what was happening, this sniper became my target. He was easy to track and question. Someone had killed my driver. Possibly a secondary sniper. He knew what he was doing. One head shot and a definite kill". Natasha sat next to him and wondered. 'How many more missions will there be like this in the future. She had gotten lucky and had no snipers but, what about her next mission. What about his? What if he gets the better sniper next time?'. All these thoughts terrified her and made her mad and worried. Clint could see all her worry on her face. "Hey, I'm ok. Fury is looking into those missions. They'll find the pattern and find out who is behind it but, that doesn't mean we can't do some digging of our own". Clint gave her a lopsided grin.

Clint had wanted to get his mind off things for a bit so he decided he would surround himself with the others. 'What better way to get your mind off serious things but with Stark, Rogers, Banner and Thor'. Clint went and sat at the breakfast bar as Natasha went and got him some left over food from last night from the refrigerator and warmed it up. Clint was sitting with his arms crossed on the table and leaning heavily on them. The others had heard them coming out and then saw them. Tony just had to let Clint know how his appearance was. "You look like hell bird boy". Clint only smiled as he turned around to look at him. "Thanks. You look as lovely as ever". Tony laughed at Clint. "Wow you must be tired, you actually answered me. Usually I get the glare and silent treatment". As Tony said this he caught Natasha standing in the corner giving him a glare and the silent treatment. "Yeah, just like that". Tony pointed to her. Clint laughed as he could see how uncomfortable she was making Tony. He could feel all of the interactions becoming more natural and also beneficial. 'Maybe doing the inward brooding over missions isn't always the best way to go'. This was becoming a home to him. As Tasha saw the relief wash across Clint's face she relaxed as well and smiled. 'He is finding his new home'.


	8. Find The Mole Inside

Author's Note: I do not own anything. All Characters belong to MARVEL. Only the Villains are mine. I have not read the Comics and am basing this solely on the Movie and my Imagination. When you see 'This' That is a characters inner thoughts. When you see "This" that is Natasha and Clint speaking in Russian. This is the same story I posted. Edited the Chapters.

Thanks to all for being so patient with the update

Find the Mole inside

It had been several weeks since the "dud missions" as Clint and Natasha called them. The whole team had gotten a lot closer. They shared some of their past stories. Natasha and Clint even told them about some of their past missions. Tony had decided to ask the one question on everyone's minds. "So, how did you two meet?". Tony asked Clint and Natasha after dinner. They smiled at each other and Natasha gave him the "go ahead" look.

"Budapest. I was sent on a mission. I had a target that Fury considered dangerous and uncontrollable. A spy and assassin. Russian and trained by the best of the best. I was sizing up my target and getting into position to take'em out. Well, last minute they were ambushed by over 10 guys. I was able to see their skills and realized that they could be more of an asset then a target for me to eliminate. So I jumped in helped defeat the guys who attacked them. When I was asked as to who I worked for and why I was there, I knew they had an idea as to all of that already. Told them I worked for S.H.I.E.L.D and that I was there to kill them but, wanted to offer them a job instead. They accepted and that pissed off Fury and Coulson".

The others stared at him. "Um, you do know that didn't really answer the question". Bruce mentioned to them. "Yes it did". Natasha said. Clint laughed as he looked at their faces get more confused. "She was my target to eliminate". They stared at him. "So, what changed your mind?". Pepper asked Clint. "I was given a second chance, a way to be productive and do good. I figured, why couldn't she get an option, why couldn't she get a second chance?". No one expected that deep of an answer. "I was expecting because, she had a nice rack". Tony added to break the silence. Natasha gave him her death glare and he smiled in return. "Well, I did think she was gorgeous but, I was looking at her skills". Under the table Natasha grabbed his hand but, showed nothing on her face. Showed no reaction to Clint saying she was gorgeous.

She noticed that he left out the part where she still didn't trust him and had started to seduce him so she could find the best escape route. He was aware of her tools and wouldn't fall for it. At least, not all the way. They had kissed and she had even pulled some of his clothing off. He had left that out in the briefing also. She felt herself getting wrapped up in the moment where she shoved him on the bed, startled him and slowly brought her lips to his. Brushing against them slightly as she slowly unzipped his vest and pulled off his under shirt. He didn't fight and seemed to be enjoying himself. Then he brought her closer to him with his hands on her hips guiding her in closer to him. Finally their lips met and she swore for a minute, she saw stars. That was one of the most passionate kisses she had in a long time. That memory always stuck with her.

Clint was sitting in his "nest" on a large windowsill that Tony had added with an access ladder just for Clint. He was up there for the privacy he needed when reviewing a file for mission. His next target to take out was a Jason Pliers. Early thirties and an expert in chemical weaponry. Frankly, this mission looked similar to the other two dud missions that Clint and Natasha had gone on. What if it was another ambush, a way to get Natasha or himself out into the open or to pick them off one by one. Things were starting to connect for Clint though. 'All the targets have a common theme to their last names. His guy was Welder and Natasha's was Michael Solder. This target, Pliers'. "Hardware". Clint said as he thought over the names. This was a set up and any one of them could be a target. How can I narrow down our mole? I would need to get into S.H.I.E.L.D's files, discreetly. Who can get me in...' Barton didn't need to finish the thought. "Jarvis, connect me to Stark". "Yes Agent Barton". The AI responded. Clint only had to wait a moment before... "What up Big Bird?". Stark sounded like he was in the middle of something. "Am I interrupting anything?". Barton asked him in a mocking tone. Stark was always doing something. "Always but, I can allow you to interrupt my business in devours. What's up?". Barton smiled knowing his next words would make Stark's mouth water. "Can you hack into S.H.I.E.L.D?". Barton had a slight smile on his face and it got wider when Stark answered his question. "When don't I hack into S.H.I.E.L.D?".


	9. Find the Connection, Find the Mole

Author's Note: I do not own anything. All Characters belong to MARVEL. Only the Villains are mine. I have not read the Comics and am basing this solely on the Movie and my Imagination. When you see 'This' That is a characters inner thoughts. When you see "This" that is Natasha and Clint speaking in Russian.

Find the Connection, Find the Mole

Clint was going to Tony's lab. They were meeting after everyone went to sleep so, they wouldn't be disturbed or stopped. Clint had learned long ago that there were a lot of secrets in S.H.I.E.L.D's hard drives. One was discovered when Tony hacked the system and found out that they were looking to use the tesseract as a weapon. None of them had agreed with being lied to like that. Now though, someone was hiding in S.H.I.E.L.D's database and was using it to throw them off their game.

As soon as Clint walked in Tony switched from his usual projects to S.H.I.E.L.D's database. "Ok, so are we doing general hacking or hacking for a topic?". Tony's hands were waiting over the keyboard. "Personnel hacking. Can we see some of the alias' recently used by active agents?". Clint asked as he leaned on the desk next to Tony who quickly typed in all the commands, got personnel files, alias files and their pictures as each alias. "Ok, can we narrow that down to alias' dealing in tools or hardware similarities". Again Tony typed quickly and got all Clint asked for. "Ok, anyone of the active agents have a derivation of the alias names?". Clint asked as Tony typed in commands. There it was, the only file that came up. "Why does that name sound familiar?". Clint was looking at the picture, he was great with names and faces yet, this one eluded him. "Can we see active and non active agents with similar names?". Clint asked. "How non active are we talking?". Clint thought about and remembered a certain agent from several years ago. Perhaps that was the one that he was reminding him of. "Let's do 5 years". Clint decided. "You got it".

They had been down in the lab all night. Tony was leaving to get another cup of coffee as Clint sat and watched the computer compile the agents. They had gradually added on years to their search. Now Clint had included agents considered deceased. 'Something is here, I know it'. Clint thought as he sat waiting for it to finish. "You want more caffeine Clint?". Tony asked him as he held up his coffee mug. "No, I'm good thanks". Clint answered, never taking his eyes off the screen. A name had popped into Clint's head long ago. It was one of the few agents who used all sort of tool or construction as his alias. 'Now if only I could find his file'. He had searched through most of the files of deceased and non active agents from over 20 years ago and had nothing. So he decided to enter the name to see what he could find.

Tony was entering his lab again with a coffee in one hand and the newspaper in the other. "Where does this print out?". Clint yelled from across the lab by the table. "What?". Tony asked as he sipped his coffee and read the paper. "Where does this print out?". Clint asked louder. Tony held his coffee cup to the right of him where there was a secondary room where Clint saw the papers coming out of the printer. Clint ran to the room and then ran out of the lab. "Jarvis, get me a secure line with Fury". Clint was heading towards the conference room where there was a projector. "If I may remind you Agent Barton, it is 3 AM". Jarvis told him before he contacted Fury. "Don't care, tell him I know the mole's identity".

Fury's phone rang at least three times before he decided to answer it. He was not expecting Stark's AI to be on the other line. "Sir, forgive the intrusion of your sleep cycle. Agent Barton has identified your mole sir". Fury sat up at the last words. "Video conference in 5". Fury hung up and made his way to the conference room at S.H.I.E.L.D. Barton appeared on his screen looking as exhausted as if he was just on a long mission. "You look like hell Barton". Was Fury's first words. "Thank you sir. Sorry for the early wake up call". Fury nodded and then got down to business. "I was told you have the goods. Is your line secure?". Fury asked before any information was passed along. "Yes sir". Barton answered. Fury pressed a few buttons jamming the video line on his end and all forms of communications. "Same here. You have the identity".

Barton nodded and then linked Fury into Jarvis and the file he found. "Agent Alexander Woodlawn. Dishonorably discharged and removed from active duty from S.H.I.E.L.D 5 years ago for selling information and weapons to terrorists. He was supposed to serve time in Quantico for his actions. His transport was attacked and he vanished. No one knows who did it or where they went. He has changed his appearance though. There is an active agent file for an Agent Andrew Sanders. His alias' match the ones from the fake missions. Was recruited over a year ago in the exact same way Woodlawn was. Sir, I have a feeling this is our guy". That was all the information Barton had to share with Fury. "I am going to put a trace on all of his activity. Should I even ask how you got all that information agent?". Barton gave a half smile and answered "No, sir".


	10. Am I coming back?

Author's Note: I do not own anything. All Characters belong to MARVEL. Only the Villains are mine. I have not read the Comics and am basing this solely on the Movie and my Imagination. When you see 'This' That is a characters inner thoughts. When you see "This" that is Natasha and Clint speaking in Russian.

Am I coming back?

Barton was still going to have to go on the mission that he had recently been assigned. With out concrete evidence that they were targets or that this mission was a setup, they couldn't over look any mission. He was packing all of the usual weapons that he took on a mission. He packed his bow, quiver and arrow shafts. He opened the box where he kept all his specialty arrow tips. He was taking the usual ones he needed and used on missions as well as some new ones that S.H.I.E.L.D and Stark made for him. He was adding extra grappling hooks to his quiver as well as explosive heads. He also packed extra weapons since he had a feeling that this one could be an ambush. _'Not taking any chances on this one'_. He told himself as he zipped up his duffel bag. He was thinking of the sniper that had been sent to take him out. They wouldn't send another one like that, the next one would be more experienced or a different kind of assassin entirely.

Natasha was sitting in the common area thinking about Barton and this mission he was about to be going on. Nothing about this mission felt right to her especially since several missions in a row had been set ups. Thinking of the other missions brought a feeling that Barton would not make it back unscathed or even at all from this mission . She was terrified every time that they went on separate missions that Fury would call her, telling her that her partner was killed and wouldn't be coming back. What scared her even more was that she was feeling this way. She decided to change her thought from Barton to the mission file. When they both went over the file they discussed their thoughts on a possible ambush. They also decided that Barton needed to carry extra weapons with him on this one. They were about to separate so he could dress for the mission and pack his weapons. She had grabbed a hold of his arm, stopping him in his tracts. "I want you to come home". He smiled as he moved his arm so his hand wrapped around hers. "You know I will". He squeezed her hand and she gave it a squeeze back. "I don't want you to come back for the Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D or anything else". He looked confused for a moment. "Then what for?". He asked her as he pulled her closer to him. "For me, come home for me". Then she went and did something she had never done before, she kissed him. She had put all her feelings from the past years and the added fear from the mission. Barton had done the same. The kiss was long and passionate as they refused to leave each others embrace. "I love you" Barton whispered after they had separated. Natasha smiled and said "Love is for children". Barton smiled as he knew that was her way of saying it back.

Barton was going to be leaving in several hours. All the others had heard about the set up missions and that this one could be one as well. The unspoken topic was "would Hawkeye come back from this one at all". It put everyone on edge to think that they could lose one of their own. They had been sitting there reflecting on the team. Natasha had already let him know about the others feelings about all this. "What choice do I have, I have to take what Fury gives me". Clint said as they sat across from each other at the kitchen island. She hated that he had no choice and couldn't say no to a mission. He had made her a cup of her favorite herbal tea as well as one for himself. They sat there drinking their tea still discussing the mission. "If I don't come back, I want to end my memory with the team on a good note". Clint took a sip of tea and then went into the living area to sit amongst the team. She had placed his hand firmly in hers as she joined him on the couch. No one said anything if they did notice. This mission and his fate were affecting the whole team. _'Who knew I would have such a home and family'._

The time finally came for Clint to board his plane. The team had escorted him to the air strip even though he told them they didn't have to. They wanted to see him off and remember everything in a positive way. The whole way over Natasha had her arm around his arm. It wasn't much but it was enough for him. The others didn't mention any of the displays of affection between the two of them. As soon as they arrived at the airport all the nerves hit. Clint's breathing changed. He had a bad feeling about this mission but, he had no choice. Clint shook hands with the others. Pepper embraced him in a hug and wouldn't let go. Clint stood in front of Natasha. _"I promise you, I will do everything in my power to come back to you"._ He said in Russian. She nodded with tears in her eyes. _"You better". _She answered. She then wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. The others looked away for the sake of privacy. Tony started to laugh as he looked at the others and said "You all owe me $10.00". Pepper stared at him. "What was the bet this time?". She asked as she wrapped her arm around Tony's. "That they would get together". Pepper smiled at him and then turned back to see Clint heading towards the plane. She moved from Tony to her side. She placed a hand on Natasha's shoulder. She was expecting her to reject it but was surprised to find her grabbing onto her hand for comfort. Barton boarded his plane and was handed a new mission file. "I already have it to go over again". He told the other agent as he took a seat on the plane. "Understood Mr. Barton however, I was informed that there was new information added to the file". Barton took the outstretched folder from him. "Thank you". The other agent nodded. "Are you ready for take off?". He asked Barton. "Yes". Barton answered as he buckled his seat belt and opened the file to read over the new information.

The plan was to land at a public airport, blend in and make his way to the safe house. There would be a car he would pick up under his assumed name. He would have a full stock at the safe house of everything he needed and requested from the agency. There he would unpack and stash his weapons, go over the mission file one more time and then turn in early to get plenty of rest. He would start his operation the next day. He had to learn his targets schedule and the only way to do that was to observe. He had an observation schedule of about 3 days. Longer if there were inconsistencies. From the first file he had received, it seemed as though he had a pretty redundant schedule. So hopefully he wouldn't change it in suspicion of a hit or attack. If that was the case then he would have to move quicker. He hated rushing a job that required observation. It wouldn't be clean and an innocent bystander could get hurt. 'No, even if the schedule changed, observation first was the best route'. Clint thought to himself as the plane was beginning it's decent.

Clint made it through all the checks with out a problem. The next step was to get his car and get to the safe house as discretely as possible. "Hello sir, how may I help you?". The clerk at the rental desk asked. "Hi, I'm here to pick up my rental. I'm registered under Aaron Brandt". He told the clerk as he handed over the printed out confirmation. The clerk looked it over and typed in the code into the computer. "Yes sir, we have your car ready to go. One of the valet's will bring it around in a minute". Clint nodded his thanks as he stepped off to the side and waited. A black midsized car came to the front. The valet driver got out and handed the keys to Clint. "Here you are sir. Enjoy your rental". Again Clint nodded his thanks and began his drive to the safe house. He had a several hour drive before he reached his destination. He had his IPOD plugged into the car and was listening to the mp3 version of the mission that he received in the updated file. There was some communication between the target and another undercover agent. He was pulled days before Barton was called in. He was listening to the plans that were made between the two. _'What a messed up freak'_. Clint thought as he listened to them planning to take out S.H.I.E.L.D with some sort of dispersal unit. What he planned on releasing was not clear but, if this guy was planning it then, it couldn't be good. Even after reading over the file several times and listening to this guy, Barton still couldn't understand him. _'Why S.H.I.E.L.D, what was the connection?'_. Clint finally made it to the safe house. He put in his lock code in the panel behind the door bell and put his hand on the identification screen and then waited for the green light. Once he was inside he set his bags down by his bed and pulled out his laptop. He checked into the main S.H.I.E.L.D database and went looking through past files. He saw a familiar name over and over again. _'Alexander Woodlawn. How did I know that would be there'._ Clint said to himself sarcastically. He was looking at how many times he had been written up. _'Essentially his career in the government was ruined due to him getting caught. He blames S.H.I.E.L.D'_. "Oh that is so not good". Barton said to himself. It seemed Woodlawn specialized in viral dispersal weapons. Clint looked them up in the database and saw some video taken after one of the dispersal units was set off without authorization. The devastation was horrific. The amount of people that were killed was beyond anything he had ever seen. "If this is what he is planning on releasing on us, we are so screwed". Barton thought as he prepped his weapons for the mission tomorrow. He would bring his bow and arrow anyway incase if he had to act fast or if it was an ambush. He had extra round of arrow heads on him to reload if need be. He double checked his gun was in working order and cleaned it. He reloaded it with a full magazine and put several extra in his uniform for tomorrow. He set up his communications system and ran a check on it as well. All the gear checked out and he was ready for just about anything this guy had to throw his way.


End file.
